Notre Dame’s Louis Nix and Zack Martin to skip the NFL draft and join Fighting Irish next year - VIDEO

Coach Brian Kelly announced that Notre Dame’s nose guard Louis Nix III and offensive tackle Zack Martin will return to the Indiana university next year and skip the NFL draft.

Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Kelly also said running back Cierre Wood will wait until he receives an evaluation of his draft stock from an NFL advisory committee before deciding if he will return to Notre Dame for another season.

The 325-pound Nix had 45 tackles and two sacks. He anchored one of the top defenses in college football. Similarly, Martin is Notre Dame's top offensive line and a three-year starter. Wood is the team's second-leading rusher with 740 yards and four touchdowns.

Speaking about the upcoming BCS championship game against Alabama, Kelly suggested that receiver DaVaris Daniels might be on form to make a comeback for the January game.

Daniels broke his clavicle during a win over Boston College last month and was expected to miss the rest of the season. There was hope that he might return postseason. Kelly confirmed that optimism.

He said, “He looks really good…He’s going to be able to be a key contributor for us.”